Road to Berry Edge, The (27 page)

‘What does that mean?'

‘It means that we'll live where my work is and essentially my work will be in Nottingham.'

Faith wanted to cry, so she got up and ran into the house. He followed her there, all the way up to her bedroom which he shouldn't have done. The windows were open and from them she could see the countryside.

‘I can't leave here, I don't know how to,' she said.

‘I thought you liked the house and the country and the people, and you certainly liked London. Didn't you?'

‘Yes, but only to visit. I wouldn't want to live there.'

‘You'll soon make friends. There'll be plenty to do. You can ride there, and go into Nottingham with Ida and—'

‘You're going to insist, aren't you?' Faith said, turning and looking at him.

‘Only if you make me.'

‘That's the same thing. It's not a side to you that I noticed before.'

‘What?'

‘Making me obey you.'

‘I'm not making you obey me, Faith, I have to live where my work is, that's all.'

‘Your work has been here.'

‘Just lately, yes, but it was never my intention to stay here.'

‘You hate it?'

‘I don't hate it any more. I did but I don't now. We can come back here from time to time. I often go to London too and you can come with me and stay at the house there. Surely you understand?'

‘If I must then I will,' Faith said.

Berry Edge seemed after that to get more and more precious each day. She went to John's grave and to the Chapel, and to see the people whom she knew, but everything was different now and they treated her differently. The people of Berry Edge would never like Rob, and since she was to marry him they included her in their dislike and so excluded her from their lives. She lost her contact with them, she was not asked to help with the Chapel. She was not asked into their homes, and when they discovered that she was going away to Nottinghamshire to live in some country mansion, the gap widened even further. Faith in some way began to long to be gone because she had no place here.

She saw Vera Ridley one hot day, and though she knew Vera very little she also knew that Vera had been Nancy's good friend. When Vera would have crossed over the road to avoid her, Faith went to her and asked for news of Nancy.

‘She's living in Durham, Miss.'

‘Then you have heard from her. How is she?'

‘She's all right as far as I know.'

‘I would very much like to see her. Do you know where she's staying in Durham?'

‘I couldn't say, Miss, I've never been. Near one of the bridges, I think. Don't know which one though. She wrote to me once. North Street, I think.'

‘North Road?'

‘No, Miss, it was a street, I'm sure.'

‘It couldn't be South Street, could it?'

‘I don't remember, Miss,' Vera said, and left hurriedly.

*

‘Do you hear anything from Nancy?' Faith asked Harry that evening when he got home from work.

‘Nancy? No, why?'

‘I just wondered. I met Vera Ridley, her friend, and she says that Nancy is living in Durham. She gave me what could be an address.'

‘If you find out, let me know. Rob worries about Nancy.'

It wasn't that Faith deliberately went into Durham to see Nancy, it was just that she decided she wanted to do a bit of shopping. It was while she was there and walking down the winding hill which was Silver Street towards the river that she remembered what Vera had said. She crossed the bridge and made her way up the hill, and then knocked on the nearest door. She knocked on four doors. She didn't know why particularly she wanted to see Nancy, just that she knew Rob was concerned, she wanted to make sure that Nancy was getting by all right.

At the fourth house a small, pretty woman opened the door. Faith enquired tentatively and the woman said, ‘You're a friend of Nancy's? That's nice. Come in.'

Inside the house was quite big and elegantly furnished. The woman led the way into the kitchen. Nancy was sitting with a baby on her lap. Faith beamed at her and said, ‘Hello, Nancy, how are you?'

She wasn't surprised that Nancy didn't seem overwhelmed to see her. She pushed the baby at the other woman and got hastily to her feet.

‘What a lovely baby,' Faith said. ‘It's not - it's not yours?'

‘Goodness me, no, Miss,' Nancy said.

‘What a beautiful baby you have,' Faith told the other woman.

‘She is, isn't she?' the woman said and took the baby and left, much to Faith's disappointment.

‘How are the children?' Faith asked.

‘Oh, very well. Fine.'

‘They're not here?'

‘No, they - they've gone for a walk.'

As if to call it a lie there were sounds in the hall. The children burst in, and following them was Michael McFadden. Faith was surprised to see him.

‘Good afternoon,' she said.

‘Hello,' Michael said.

Michael confused Faith, she didn't know quite why. He took up a lot of room in the kitchen and she didn't know what to say. She didn't know why she had come now. She felt like apologising for intruding on them.

‘How's Mr Berkeley?' Michael said.

‘He's very well. We're - we're to be married. We're going to Nottingham to live.'

‘Yes, so I hear. Congratulations.'

‘I mustn't stay, I really mustn't. I just wanted to make sure that Nancy was well.'

Nobody protested that she was leaving. Nancy saw her into the hall. At that moment the front door opened, and what Faith thought afterwards was surely the most beautiful woman in the world stepped into the house. She wore thin white clothes because the day was so hot, and her skin was golden. Her hair was black and her eyes were almost black with thick, long lashes. She was tall and, although her dress was modest, Faith did not doubt that her body was exquisite. She looked perfectly cool, she smiled from white, even teeth and when she took off her gloves her fingers were long and slender and looked after with pretty nails. They had no rings on them nor needed any.

‘Good afternoon,' she said.

‘Good afternoon.'

‘Susannah, this is Miss Norman. Faith, this is Susannah Seaton.'

Faith would have had to have lived a lot further from Durham than Berry Edge not to have heard of Susannah, though she knew that respectable women were urged to believe that women like Susannah did not exist or were not seen to exist. No respectable woman would have done anything other than crossed the street and ignored her, but Faith couldn't, because she realised now that this was Susannah Seaton's house. So she put out her hand and said how very nice it was to meet her, and Susannah said the same.

‘You must stay and have some tea with us,' she said.

‘Miss Norman has to go,' Nancy said.

‘Yes, yes, I really must.'

‘Must you? Well then, another time.'

From upstairs came the unmistakable sound of a baby screaming for its mother. Even Faith recognised it. The baby knew that its mother had entered the house, perhaps even, if babies did such things, recognised her voice or smelled her presence.

‘You must excuse me,' Susannah said, ‘it was very nice to meet you,' and she went off upstairs.

Nancy saw Faith out of the house. She walked slowly down the hill and across the bridge. She had never met a prostitute before and had never thought to meet one. She never imagined that a prostitute could look like that. Susannah Seaton brought the sun and the moon down, she was so beautiful. What man could resist her? And she had a child. Faith longed for a child. She wondered what it was like to have a child and to bring it up without a father.

*

That evening when Rob and Harry were playing billiards, Faith went into the room.

‘I saw Nancy today,' she said.

Rob stopped. He had been about to attempt to pocket the blue.

‘You found her?' he said.

‘She's living in Durham, and I saw Michael too, and the children. They're living in South Street with - with some people.' Faith didn't like to say Susannah's name. She thought it might prejudice Rob about helping Nancy and Michael.

They all knew what that meant. If Michael was at home during the week, it meant that he had nothing to do.

‘Isn't there some way that you could get Michael work?'

‘Don't be silly, Faith,' Harry said, ‘Michael McFadden almost got Rob killed.'

‘It wasn't his fault, surely. He was just doing what he thought was right, you can't blame him for that.'

‘I can blame him.'

‘What is he to do?'

‘I have no idea, Faith, and I can't say that I really care.'

‘What about Nancy? They belong here just like Rob and I do. Why should they move away because of what happened?'

‘Because they lost,' Harry said.

Faith stared at him. ‘You make it sound like some kind of game. Michael has just as much right to live here as you do. More, in fact, because you're a stranger.'

‘How long do you have to live here before you cease to be a stranger.' Harry demanded, glaring at her. ‘Twenty years? Thirty?'

‘You have to be born here,' Faith said, ‘and they were, and you've made it impossible for them to come back. They can't stay here now. I thought you came here to make things better.'

‘Things are better,' Harry argued.

‘Not for Nancy and Michael they're not! Or for Nora Cowan and her family, or for a lot of people who have had to leave because of what happened. It's no use you pretending that everything is all right, because it isn't. There are a lot of people who wish you'd never come here in the first place.'

‘And are you one of them?' Harry asked stiffly.

‘I was today. I was ashamed,' Faith said, shaking. ‘Nancy did nothing, but you put her out.'

‘We did not!'

‘She left because she had nowhere to go because of her loyalty to you. How do you think she felt when she had to leave because of you, and now she can't come back because of Michael? You don't care about the women and they're the ones who were hurt most.'

‘Enough, both of you,' Rob said and then looked at Harry.
‘I think Faith's right. I think we ought to give Michael a chance. What do you think, Harry?'

*

That evening Faith got Rob alone and kissed him all over his face.

‘I knew you would,' she said.

‘Don't.'

‘Don't what?' Faith drew back. It was late at night in the garden. They had to go outside to be alone. ‘You aren't cross with me, are you, for going there and then for going on and on about it?'

‘I'm very proud of you.'

‘Are you sure?'

‘Yes. You were right.'

‘Was I? I love you to tell me that I'm right. Kiss me.' Rob did. Faith put herself into his arms until she was pressed against him. ‘I love you, Rob, I love you. I never thought I was going to love anybody again. You make me so happy and you're kind. If it weren't for you Harry would turn into a stone, he's so stupid.'

*

Two days later a man turned up at the house in South Street asking for Michael. When Nancy ushered him into the downstairs sitting room, Michael recognised him as a miner he had known some years since, a deputy called George Hobson.

‘Why Geordie,' he said, getting up, ‘it's been a long time.'

‘Hello, Mick, how are you? Is that your missus? What a bonny lass.'

‘Thanks. I didn't know you were around.'

‘I've come to manage the Diamond.'

‘Manage it?'

‘I went back to school and then I went on and took the tests, you know, and I'm a manager now. Mr Berkeley has given me the Diamond.'

‘That was lucky. Jobs are hard to come by.'

‘I know. You should get yourself some schooling, Michael, it's the best way.'

‘Aye, well.'

‘In the meanwhile, do you want a job?'

Michael stared at him. ‘What, hewing?'

‘Well, you're a bit big for owt else.'

‘Don't you know what happened? He'd never have me back.'

‘Told me different. Says he wants you.'

‘After what happened?'

‘Says he'll take on all comers.'

‘The bastard was always like that,' Michael said, remembering Rob as a small boy. ‘I can't do it, man.'

‘Why not?'

‘It's charity.'

‘Hewing down the Diamond? I don't think so, Michael, the Diamond's a bitch and you're good.'

Michael hesitated.

‘He isn't asking you to bloody tea, man, he's offering you a job. You'd be daft to turn him down.'

‘He's rubbing my nose in it.'

‘Mebbe he is, but there's them that'll call him soft for doing it.'

‘Well, it won't be me. He showed me what he was made of.'

‘You'll come in then?'

‘Aye, I'll do it. When?'

‘Monday, early shift.' Geordie got to the door and then hesitated. ‘There's a house in it an' all of course, one of them new ones, just close enough to the Miners' Arms,' he said with a grin. ‘I'll see you there Saturday night if you fancy a game of dominoes.'

When Geordie had gone Michael went into the kitchen. Nancy was peeling potatoes for tea. He sneaked up behind her and grabbed her around the waist so that she shrieked.

‘Michael! I nearly cut my finger off,' and she turned around, brandishing a knife.

‘Will you marry me, sweetheart?'

‘What are you talking about, you great lump?'

‘I've got a job.'

Nancy shrieked with pleased surprise. ‘Where?'

‘At the Diamond.'

Nancy stared at him. ‘How did that happen?'

‘His lordship requested it,' Michael said dryly.

‘Even he wouldn't do that.'

‘He did.'